It’s Coming

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Chris

The Great United Devaluation is coming on February 1st, so tomorrow (January 31st) is the last day to make award bookings under the award chart.

For reference, a comparison between old award chart and the new award chart show the damage.

Some key takeaways (from North America):

  • Europe business class is going from 100k to 115k (United) / 140k (Partners)
  • Europe first class is going from 135k to 160k / 220k.
  • Asia business class is going from 120k to 140k / 160k.
  • Asia first class is going from 140k to 160k / 240-260k (North-South Asia).
  • Australia/New Zealand business class is going from 135k to 140k / 160k
  • Australia/New Zealand first class is going from 160k to 160k / 260k.
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American Airlines First Class Los Angeles to Honolulu

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Chris

In light of the Starwood devaluation in March, I booked two nights at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki.  To get there, I flew American from New York.

 

American 31
Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL)
Saturday, April 20th, 2013
Depart:  8:00AM
Arrive: 10:50AM
Duration:  5 hours, 50 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 757-223 (N608AA)
Seat: 6E (First Class)

As this was an early morning flight, first class was served breakfast, albeit with the enhancement of a paper menu compared to ordinary domestic first class.

American Airlines First ClassOn arrival, I took the opportunity to do a bit of plane spotting before picking up my rental car.

Honolulu Airport

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Burning A Hole In My Pocket: Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Newark

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Chris

Having enjoyed my time in the lounge, I made my way to the end of the concourse to catch my flight to Newark.

D-AIHU at MUCOrdinarily, airport security abroad is a joy.  For our flight, bound to the United States, we got to enjoy another security screening before our gate.  There’s nothing quite like being asked to take off your shoes to give you a little reminder of home.

Lufthansa 412
Munich (MUC) – Newark (EWR)
Sunday, March 31st, 2013
Depart:  3:35PM
Arrive: 6:35AM
Duration:  9 hours
Aircraft:Airbus A340-642 (D-AIHU)
Seat: 3H (Business Class)

Upon boarding, I settled down into my seat in business class.

Lufthansa Business Class

 

Lufthansa Business Class

The menu read as follows:

Lufthansa Business Class MenuLufthansa Business Class MenuLufthansa Business Class MenuLufthansa Business Class MenuLufthansa Business Class MenuLufthansa Business Class MenuLufthansa Business Class MenuI had ordered a vegetarian meal, so my service began with a salad and fresh fruit.

Lufthansa Business ClassLufthansa Business ClassLufthansa Business ClassShortly before arrival, we had a light stack, which in my case consisted of cheese and vegetables, along with a bowl of tomato soup.

Lufthansa Business ClassWhile immigration was light at Newark when we arrived, Global Entry meant that I spent most of my time walking from the plane to the curb.

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Burning A Hole In My Pocket: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Munich

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Chris

Prior to my flight to Newark, I stopped by the Lufthansa Senator Lounge.

MUC Senator Lounge The lounge was sharp and new feeling.

MUC Senator LoungeThere was some cold food on offer, as well as the signature Lufthansa pretzel.

MUC Senator Lounge MUC Senator Lounge

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Citi 100k AAdvantage World Elite Offer

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Chris

Deals We Like mentions that Citi is now offering a 100k signup bonus and a $200 statement credit (for spending $10k in 3 months) for the AAdvantage World Elite Mastercard.  This card has a $450 annual fee but includes an Admirals Club membership.

Historically, I’ve used my American Express Platinum card for AA and US lounge access, justifying the card’s $450 fee to myself with the $200 annual statement credit and the lounge access.  With Amex cardholders losing access on March 22nd, I’m looking for alternatives.  While AA considerably expanded its lounge access policies on JFK-LAX/SFO in the fall of 2012, my upgrades don’t always clear on American and I don’t always fly on nonstops from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

At the moment, I’m pondering how the Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage card can offer a 10% rebate on AA redemptions (up to 10k per year) but the World Elite card cannot.

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Starwood’s 2014 Spring Promotion

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Chris

Starwood is running another promotion very similar to last quarter’s… except a bit worse.

This quarter’s “Bring on the Nights” promotion offers 2.5k bonus points per 5 nights stayed at Starwood hotels between January 5th through April 30th.  Registration by February 28th is required.

The last promotion for 2013 offered a similarly tiered bonus system for nights but also came with double base points on stays.  I’m unlikely to go out of my way to collect stays at Starwood properties for the sake of picking up points from this promotion; but given I had 50+ nights with Starwood last year, it’s hard for me to not expect a few stays this spring.

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AA-US Elite Qualification

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Chris

Despite plenty of speculation that American and US Airways would certainly merge EQM balances for travel occurring in 2014, a quiet FAQ update (only appear on usairways.com!) indicates this is not the case.

“Can I combine my AAdvantage and Dividend Miles elite qualifying miles and segments to qualify for elite status?

No. Because we are currently maintaining two separate programs, elite qualifying miles and segments (and American’s points) only count toward elite status in the program in which they were earned. Elite credits will not be an additive between the two programs to determine a customer’s 2014 qualification or status.”

There can be a bit of back-and-forth about the meaning of “2014”:  Is that for elite status in 2014 or qualification (for 2015) by way of travel in 2015?  Fortunately, higher-profile bloggers have looked into this important matter.  One Mile at a Time’s post is still pending an update from the airlines, but Hack My Trip confirms this reading of the FAQ.

Somewhat awkwardly, this comes on the heels of the 50% mile bonus for cross-crediting US and American flights.  Registration with US Airways (for American flights) and American (for US Airways flights) is required.

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Burning A Hole In My Pocket: The Westin Grand Munich

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Chris

For my three nights in Munich, I opted to stay at the Westin.  Due to a rate quirk, I wound up with two double beds rather than a single bed.

Westin Grand MunichWestin Grand MunichWestin Grand MunichOverall, the hotel was well-situated by being a short walk away from the Arabellapark U-Bahn Station.

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Burning A Hole In My Pocket: Swiss Senator Lounge Zürich and Lufthansa Business Class Zürich to Munich

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Chris

Prior to passing through security, I took a moment to go visit the observation terrace.  The weather outside left a bit to be desired for visibility, but fortunately, most of the observation area is covered.

Helvetic Airways Plane Taxing IMG_7575Qatar Cargo A330 Taxiing at Zurich A7-AFVBy virtue of having Star Alliance Gold status by being a United 1K, I visited the Swiss-run Senator Lounge.  I previously visited in March 2012 on my way to Bangkok.

The lounge had a number of hot food items available, mostly centered around pastas of various sorts.

Macaroni with Potatoes

Sandwiches, Pasta Salad, and Rice SaladHiding in the back of the food area, there were two soups and bread slices available.

IMG_7583The Senator Lounge has a display of A340 models taking off near its entrance.

Swiss Senator Lounge ZurichAfter a while, it was time to go to my gate to catch my Lufthansa flight to Munich.  Inside of Europe, business class leaves a lot to be desired.  Our late evening flight was markedly lightly loaded:  We had eight passengers on our 737–two in business class and six in coach.

Lufthansa Business Class

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Carlson’s 2014 Q1 Promotion

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Chris

Carlson is running its first quarter promotion from Monday (January 6th) to April 13th, 2014:  Stay 3 nights and earn 38k points.

Importantly, there are three take aways:

  • As no further (bonus) points are earned by staying more, this promotion is geared towards the infrequent Carlson guest.
  • Registration is required before the first eligible checkout date, so it’s worth registering now rather than forgetting.
  • 38k points isn’t quite for a night at a top-tier hotel (50k are needed).  It’s not the promotion of yesteryear, but it’s a reasonable bonus for the odd Carlson night here or there.
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